Support Kayakers

If you are a kayaking for a friend, relative, neighbor, long-lost cousin, etc.:

YOU DO NOT NEED TO SIGN UP OR REGISTER as a kayaker in advance. You DO need to check-in and sign a waiver at registration on Friday, June 23 from 3-5:45 p.m. AND attend the Pre-Race Meeting on Friday, June 23 at 6 p.m. You should also study the Kayaker Information Packet. (You can download the 2016 packet at the bottom of this page. An updated packet will be available in May.)

If you are a kayaker without a swimmer (e.i. You want to volunteer to support a swimmer without a kayaker):

YOU MUST COMPLETE AN ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM. Registration will open in March. Please continue reading for your duties, and contact Katie Leigh for more information or to register.

As a support kayaker, you will receive a guaranteed honorarium of $110 for your service. This amount has been prepaid by the swimmers and will be distributed to you after the completion of the event. If you provide your own kayak, you will receive an additional $50. We will have kayaks available (at no charge) for those who do not have access to a kayak.

Your commitment includes attending the pre-race registration and meeting on June 23 at 6 p.m. at the tent on Smathers Beach in Key West. You must be at Smathers Beach on the morning of June 24 by 6:15 a.m. The majority of swimmers complete the race in 5-7 hours.

Your job will require you to provide much needed support to the athlete in any way necessary. You will be his/her only contact for the entire 12.5-mile swim. You will carry his/her food and drink and any additional gear needed. The swimmer is not allowed, at any time, to stand up or even hang on to your kayak. Many of the athletes have trained all year for this momentous event, and they come from all around the U.S. and even overseas. They are a great group of people and you will have a lot of fun being a part of the event. You will finish tired and inspired!

We will have 110 solo swimmers this year and we will need as many as 35 paid support kayakers. Online registration for kayakers will be available in March on a first-come, first-served basis. Positions will be filled in the order in which they are received, so don’t wait too long. All positions will be final as of May 31, 2017. Feel free to pass on this information to friends or anyone you know who might like to participate.

If you would like to volunteer to be a support kayaker for a swimmer who doesn’t have one, contact Katie Leigh, Kayak Coordinator, with questions or to sign up!